


The Ride

by i_solemnly_swear



Category: Panic! at the Disco, Twenty One Pilots
Genre: F/M, Josh is Dallon's bff, M/M, TOOUUUR, brendon is a little bitch, chris and ryan are dicks I'm sorry, ongoing series
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-09
Updated: 2016-09-01
Packaged: 2018-08-07 18:30:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 18,122
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7725166
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/i_solemnly_swear/pseuds/i_solemnly_swear
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Josh Dun's mom really doesn't want him to go on tour for TWO WHOLE MONTHS with his overly hyper friend Dallon and Dallon's band, Panic! at the Disco. But Josh goes anyway, hoping to get a start on his drumming career and maybe get to know the cute lead singer of the opening band, Twenty One Pilots, a little better along the way.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Departure

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! So basically all you need to know is that the P!ATD in this fic is with the current members, even though it takes place very early in the band history, Ryan, Spencer, and Jon are not members. Also, Nick and Chris are still in TØP here. Josh is not.  
> * indicates the passing of time.  
> Enjoy!

“I want you to know, this is _not_ how I want you to spend your summer.”

Joshua Dun sighed- more of a grunt, really- as he attempted to yank the zipper on his suitcase and close the damn thing, eventually throwing his whole body into it until it finally held shut. “I know, Mom. We’ve been over this. It’s what I want to do.”

“Sure, but…” Josh’s mother exhaled loudly and leaned against the doorway to his room. “It’s the summer before your first year of college, and I _really_ think you ought to be doing something more useful with your time, something that can actually help you in the coming year, like… I don’t know, getting a _job_ or something, maybe studying up a bit, not going on a _music_ tour with your friend’s band for two months.” She gazed at him with a hopeless wanting expression, fully aware of the fact that her son probably wouldn’t change his mind at this point; but what was the risk in trying?

“My summer, my decisions. And maybe you think this whole thing is a total waste of time, maybe you think my music is utter shit that has no chance of ever going anywhere, that it’s useless. But I have a little more faith in myself than you do, Mom. So please. Let me make my own decisions.” Josh stood up and made for the doorway, avoiding the gaze of his mother, who was desperately trying to make eye contact, as he passed her.

“No, Joshua- Josh! Honey, that’s not what I meant, you know I support your music- Josh!” She sighed and followed his angry steps down the hallway.

“Then maybe you should act like it.” Josh disappeared downstairs.

His temper was usually calm; Josh rarely blew up at anyone, especially his mom. But she had been giving him a lot of grief about the tour lately, which wouldn’t have bothered him so much if it wasn’t about something he deeply cared about.

His best friend since preschool, Dallon Weekes, was in a band called Panic! At the Disco, which had really been gaining a stable level of support in their school and neighborhood community. Thinking it could really go somewhere, Dallon and his band mates had planned a list of gigs across the country during the summer to gain countrywide recognition and see if they could actually become something bigger. Dallon had invited Josh, a music lover and biggest fan of Dallon’s band (not to mention a pretty good drummer himself) to come along with them on the tour, both to provide moral support from the best friend and to help with the gigs, such as setting up and stuff, since their band had literally no idea what they were doing. Josh was completely happy to join them, seeing as he would be spending a whole summer in a crowded trailer with his friends, playing music. What’s not to love?

A box of cereal (Captain Crunch, one of Josh’s all time favorites) sat on the kitchen counter as Josh leaned against the sink. He wasn’t even in the mood for _that_ right now. _Dammit,_ he thought. When was the last time he was so stressed he couldn’t even eat his favorite food?

“Josh, maybe you should lay off Mom a little bit.” His sister Abbie walked into the kitchen, leaning against the peninsula across from him.

He sighed. “She’s just getting on my nerves.”

“Of course she is, it’s the summer before college and you’re fleeing the state on a music tour with your friends. Can you blame her?”

“No, but… She just doesn’t understand. I can take care of myself, I know what I want.” “I think she’s having trouble accepting that. You were her little boy up until now.” Josh watched as his sister left the room, slightly annoyed at her knack for always being right.

“Josh?” His mom had just poked her head around the corner of the kitchen, right as his phone rang. Thankful for the distraction, he pulled it out of his pocket.

“Sarah,” he mumbled to his mom. She nodded and turned away, taking the hint. “Hey, Sarah, what’s up?”

“Josh. I met this guy.”

He sighed. Sarah, one of best friends apart from Dallon, was always finding a new guy to date. Amazed at first by every one’s charm and personality, she was always eventually dumped and left in a state of heartbreak. Josh could see through every one of these guys, but Sarah never listened, always hopeful about her newest find.

“No, no, don’t give me that. You haven’t even met him yet,” she whined.

“Yeah, but how many times have we gone through this, Sar? I think you need a break from these guys for a while. They seem to be doing you more harm than good.”

“Well this guy’s better, I swear. And I know you have reason not to believe me-“

“The last three boyfriends each resulted in three separate bouts of depression, during which I was basically on Sarah Babysitting duty, bringing you food and cleaning your house while you stayed in bed, utterly upset for weeks on end. Yes, I have reason not to believe you.”

“Then come meet him. Lunch, Friday. You’ll love him.”

“I can’t, I’m leaving for tour tomorrow, remember?”

Sarah sighed through the phone. “Yeah. Dammit.”

“Sorry.”

Silence. “Am I making a mistake again?” Sarah’s voice was small and quiet.

“Honestly, I don’t know. I just think you’re putting too much faith in these guys. Men are pigs. Horrible creatures. You trust them too much to treat you well.”

“Josh, you’re a guy.”

“One of the good ones,” he said cheekily.

She laughed. “Yeah. I know.” They said their goodbyes, Sarah promising to make it to at least one of the shows over the summer, and Josh promising to be careful in a bus filled with testosterone. He stuffed his phone in his pocket and took a breath, preparing to attempt to talk to his mother, a little calmer this time. He turned around.

“Josh, I _do_ support you,” she immediately stated.

“…Okay. But you need to trust me, Mom. There’s a difference.”

She inhaled slowly. “I do trust you. But that doesn’t mean I’m not going to worry.”

“You can worry,” he said. “But trust me when I do this. I’m not stupid, you know. I have a plan, and this is part of it.” Josh stopped. He had never actually _told_ anybody about his plans involving music, other than Dallon. They were a faraway, unrealistic dreams that involved Josh getting his start as a drummer on the tour, getting a feel for the music life, and maybe joining a band of his own. Drumming was what he really wanted to do, not become an English major like he had told everyone else, though he knew his mom wouldn’t take him seriously if he ever told her that. Luckily, his mother didn’t press any farther on the subject.

“Honey, I know you’re not stupid. I’m trusting you.” She pulled him in for a hug, though her son was easily half a foot taller than her by now. “I’m trusting you.”

*

The drum set sat beautifully in his basement. Josh was going to miss it.

Sure, he would get to use Dan’s (Panic!’s drummer) set on tour when he wanted, but his own drums would always be his favorite. They would sit down here, alone and unplayed, for two months.

“Josh.” Dallon stood at the top of the steps, waiting for his friend. “Give her a kiss goodbye. We gotta go. Tour, baby! WOOOOO!” Dallon punched the air and disappeared upstairs.

Josh threw one last loving glance at his drums before following his friend.

“Mr. and Mrs. Dun. I can only imagine the stress, the worry, you both have pervading your sweet minds right now,” Dallon was saying to Josh’s parents as he reached the main floor. Josh rolled his eyes. Dallon was so unnecessarily theatrical, it was ridiculous.

“But I can assure you, cross my bass and hope to die, that your lovely son will be safe in my arms during these coming months. Not one hostile hand shall lay a finger on your son; not while I’m around.” Dallon turned around and looked lovingly at Josh, who raised his eyebrows in response.

Mrs. Dun laughed. “We have the utmost faith in you, Mr. Weekes.”

Dallon bowed. “I shall wait for you outside.” He slipped through the front door.

Josh turned to his parents. “I’ll be fine.”

His father nodded. “Stay out of trouble. A clap on the back and one quick hug later, he was gone, and it was just his mother left standing in front of Josh, a melancholy look plastered across her face.

“Mom, I’m not driving to my death, look a little happier, jeez!” She laughed and he hugged her. “I’ll be fine,” he repeated.

“I know. And I know Dallon vowed to look after you, but I think you may want to look after him. Not the most responsible kid, that one,” she said, glancing out the window, where Dallon could be seen prancing around the trailer that the band was borrowing from his uncle for the tour, whooping and kicking in celebration.

“I will. And I’ll call you every week-“

“Every day.”

“Every day. Right.” He smiled. “Bye, Mom.”

“Bye, honey.” She hugged him tight. “Have fun.”

“I will.” Josh left his house, not to return, if everything went well, for two months.

*

“That’s everything.”

“Alright, then.” Dallon slid down the storage door on the bottom of the trailer, where all their luggage, instruments, and set supplies were. “We are good to go!”

Josh followed his friend into the trailer.

“Heyo, Joshua!” Kenny, the guitarist, waved to him from the drivers seat as he climbed in.

“Hey, Kenny. You taking the first driving shift?”

“Indeed I am. But Dan’s next.”

“So he thinks,” Dan commented from the couch, munching on a granola bar. “What’s up, Josh?”

“Hey, Dan,” Josh said, smiling.

“Alright, let’s get Brendon!” Dallon yelled, throwing himself into the seat across from Dan. He plugged his phone into the aux and started blasting music throughout the trailer’s speakers. _“Now I’m of consenting age…”_

“Dall, are you literally playing your own music right now?” Josh laughed, recognizing the song.

“Um, yeah, we’re the best band I know…”

“You haven’t even been to a strip club before,” Josh pointed out, referencing the lyrics his friend was bouncing along to.

“Irrelevant.” “Here we aaaaaare,” Kenny sang. He pulled the trailer up to the lead singer, Brendon’s house.

“The last stop,” Josh said.

“Actually, not yet. We still need to meet our opening band in their trailer in the neighborhood one over from this one, and then we can set off together,” Dan said.

Josh had completely forgot about the opening band. They would be playing a few songs before Panic! every night. Josh hadn’t met them yet, though, and knew nothing about their music. Brendon had just thought it a good idea to play alongside someone else, God knows why. But when Brendon wanted something, 99.9% of the time, he got it.

“WASSUP, BITCHES!”

Josh looked up as the devil in question announced his presence, leaping into their trailer wearing the most hideous leopard print shirt Josh had ever seen. He high-fived everyone in turn, whooping as he did so. “I am SO ready to get on the road.” He stopped and listened for a second. “Damn, this is a good song.”

“It’s your song, Brendon,” Josh said again.

“I know,” the singer grinned.

Kenny set off again, and soon they were parked in the next neighborhood, in front of a house Josh had never been to before.

“Who’s house is this?” he asked Dallon.

“Tyler Joseph’s. He’s the front man of their band. It’s called Twenty One Pilots. I’ve never heard them play live, but Bren showed me a video on YouTube. They’re pretty damn good,” he added.

Josh watched as three guys zipped out of the house, and his breath literally caught in his throat as he caught sight of the one in the back. His skin was extremely tan, thick black bands running around his biceps. Josh always appreciated good tattoos, as well as a handsome face, which this guy _definitely_ had.

They knocked on the trailer door, and Kenny let them in.

“Hey guys!” Brendon ran to greet them, hugging each one in turn. “Panic! At the Disco and Josh, this is Twenty One Pilots.”

“Hey. I’m Nick.” He had a mop of brown hair and kind of reminded Josh of the Beatles.

“Chris.” Ginger, a little heavier than Nick.

“I’m Tyler.” The attractive one. He immediately met Josh’s eyes. “You’re not in the band.”

Josh jumped. “I, uh… I’m not…”

Dallon saved him. “He’s my best friend, Josh. He’s gonna be helping us as we go, and providing moral support.”

Tyler smirked. “Nice. Good to meet you, Josh.”

Josh gulped and grinned hesitantly. “You too.”

Brendon smacked his hands together, causing Josh to jump again. “Welp! Let’s get this show on the road!” He ushered Tyler, Nick, and Chris out of the trailer. They got into their own smaller bus, parked in front of the house next to Tyler’s. Brendon took his own seat on the small couch and raised his hands to his mouth. “FIRST STOP: THE GROCERY STORE! We need food, bitches.”

Kenny started the trailer again, while the guys cheered. But Josh’s eyes were still on the door to the Twenty One Pilots bus, where Tyler’s back had disappeared into; Josh had stared at him the whole way out.


	2. The Ride Begins

“Well, that took a much shorter time than I had originally bet.”

      “What?” Josh glanced at Dallon, who was sitting across from him at the small table, arms casually thrown over the top of the seat. The biggest, dopiest smirk Josh had ever seen was plastered against the entirety of his face.

       “Getting your gay ass to see a boy and freak the fuck out.”

       Josh scoffed, about to jump in, but Dallon cut him off again.

       “I mean, obviously I knew it was inevitable on this trip. How many cities are we going to? Like twenty states, of course I knew there would be a good variety of boys, and obviously you were going to find one good enough to live up to your standards. But damn. You didn’t even need to have a CONVERSATION with this kid. A few uttered words and you’re infatuated.”

       “Shut up!” Josh was going red, looking around the bus as if Tyler was suddenly going to appear standing there, laughing at him. Brendon and Dan were in a heated thumb war, and Kenny was absentmindedly humming to music in the driver’s seat, parked at a red light. No one was listening to them. He turned back to Dallon . “I am NOT _infatuated_ with him.”

       “Oh, please,” Dallon laughed dryly, leaning forward. “It was like you were a damned soul and Tyler was Jesus come to deliver your ass to heaven back there, Josh. I mean, come on.” He sat back again. “At least _try_ to be subtle about it.”

       “Dallon!” Josh huffed, “I do not like Tyler!”

       Dallon nodded sweetly, as if talking to a child, and stood up, walking towards the back of the bus.

       “I just met him!” Josh hissed. His friend only waved without looking back and disappeared into the cramped bathroom.

       “Alright. Grocery store,” Kenny announced. “Hit it and go.” He pulled into a parking spot and sharply tapped the brakes, causing the bus to jolt and Dallon to yell, “HEY!” from the bathroom, where he had apparently fallen against the wall.

       “Whoever’s going in, can you just get, like, a shit ton of bagels?” Brendon asked from his seat next to Dan on the couch.

       “Aren’t you going in?” Josh asked.

       Brendon shook his head wordlessly, staring at his phone.

       “But, weren’t you the one—“

       “We’ll go, Josh,” Dan said, jumping up and pushing him out the door. “AND WE EXPECT A REFUND.”

       “What’s up with Brendon all of a sudden?” Josh asked once they were outside and Kenny had shut the door behind them.

       “He gets anxiety going into places like grocery stores sometimes. It’s fine, we just do it for him. Don’t worry, I know what he likes.”

       “Bagels, apparently,” Josh mumbled, following Dan across the lot.

       “Alright. Split up. I’ll get the snacks, bagels, and insta-noodles. You get the drinks and breakfast,” Dan said once they were inside. “Meet here when you’re done.”

       Josh smoothed his blue hair back and nodded, setting off down a random aisle.

       He was browsing the wide array of cereals, orange juice and Red Bull cans tucked under his arm, when he finally saw a box of Captain Crunch on a shelf. Muttering a little, “ _YES!”_ under his breath, he reached up to take it when his hand collided with someone else’s, trying to grab the same box he was. Black tattoos ran around their wrist, and Josh immediately knew who it was.

       “Tyler,” he said, drawing back in surprise. Tyler immediately snatched the cereal box, Josh having surrendered his hold on it.

       “Weak, man.”

       “Huh?” Josh was stunned, face-to-face with the same man Dallon had been teasing “his gay ass” about just minutes earlier. His face reddened just thinking about it.

       “You can’t step away. You gotta assert your dominance and _take_ the box. Don’t back down. This is Captain Crunch we’re talking about. The stakes are high.”

       Josh was in love.

       Well, not really. But a passion for Captain Crunch? As far as Josh was concerned, the potential for true love was high.

       “I, uh… I didn’t know you were coming in here too, sorry.” Josh nearly slapped himself. _Smooth._

“Opening band’s gotta eat too, man.” Tyler grinned.

       Josh laughed lightly. “Yeah.”

       “Well, see you,” Tyler said, tapping Josh’s arm with the cereal box. “I’ll even share this with you, even though I won it fair and square, and it’s also my favorite.”

       “Mine too!” Josh exclaimed.

       Tyler laughed. “Then consider this a formal invitation to drop by.” He dropped into a nerdy little bow and walked away.

       Josh turned away, just in case Tyler turned around and saw his huge grin.

*

       “What took you so long?” Dan called out as Josh approached the spot where they had agreed to meet. Josh opened his mouth to answer, but Dan cut him off as soon as he saw the drinks Josh was holding. “Orange juice and Red Bull. Nice. You’re getting the hang of tour life.”

       Josh chuckled. “So, like, being unhealthy?”

       Dan thought about it as they walked to a register. “Yeah, pretty much.”

       As Josh handed over the items to a cashier, he looked up to see Tyler at a register across from him. He smiled at the singer and Tyler wiggled his eyebrows in response. Josh laughed to himself. Tour wasn’t so bad so far.

*

       “How was the grocery store?” Dallon asked as Josh and Dan re-entered the bus with their bags.

       “Great!” Josh said, pouring his bags out onto the table for everyone to see.

       “Great?” Dallon asked, poking through the haul. “That’s a pretty enthusiastic response for grocery shopping.”

       Josh cleared his throat. “No, uh, it was… It was fine.”

       Dallon raised an eyebrow, but dropped it immediately and cackled when Dan said, “I saw Tyler in there.”

       “Dallon, shut up!” Josh hissed.

       “What?” Dan was utterly confused.

       “Nothing,” Josh said, shooting his tall friend a death glare.

       Brendon shot up and collected two cans of Red Bull and a bagel, then promptly retreated to his spot on the couch. “A meal fit for a king.” He smiled and popped a can.

       “It’s the simple things that make him happy,” Kenny told Josh, sliding into the seat next to him at the table.

       “Excuse me, what are you doing out of the driver’s seat? We gotta go. No rest for the talented,” said Dan.

       “Actually, my shift is over, it’s your turn to drive.”

       “Kenny, you literally drove five minutes to the grocery store. That doesn’t count as a full shift.”

       “Says who?”

       “Says me.”

       “Guys, it’s okay,” Josh cut in. “I can drive.”

       “You sure?” Kenny asked, but he was already getting out of his seat to let Josh through.

       “Yeah. I’ve never driven anything bigger than my Mom’s minivan though.”

       “It’s basically the same thing, except a lot bigger,” Brendon pointed out.

       “Alright, thanks for the advice,” Josh chuckled, adjusting the mirrors. He was about to turn the key in the ignition, then paused. He pulled his phone and earbuds out of his pocket and plugged them in, quickly opening the YouTube app and typing “Twenty one pilots,” into the search bar. A playlist came up; two albums worth of music.

       “When are you planning on leaving, blue hair?” Dallon called.

       “Right about now.” Josh smiled and tapped the playlist.

*

       The sun had set, but considering the brightness of the LA lights, it could have been midday as far as Josh was concerned.

       It was an hour later and he was leading the bus through a congested highway, their destination a club on the edge of the city. They all lived on the other side of LA in a somewhat suburban area, so Josh had to drive through the heart of Los Angeles to get to their first venue. It wasn’t a huge club, but it was a start.

       He had been listening to Twenty One Pilots the whole time, and was frankly amazed at their style. He didn’t really know how to classify it; pop, indie, punk, rap? He couldn’t tell. But that was okay, because he was totally lost in it. One of their best that he had heard so far, a song called Glowing Eyes _,_ was halfway done when the music abruptly stopped and his ringtone blasted through his earbuds. One glance at his screen told him that Sarah was calling.

       “Hey, Sarah. What’s up?”

       “He bailed on me.”

       “I’m sorry, who are we talking about?”

       “The guy I told you about. We had a date set up for a few hours ago, but then he texted something like, ‘sorry, forgot I had a family trip.’ I know you’re going to say ‘I told you so.’ Go ahead.” She sighed, sounding like she might cry.

       “I’m not going to say that, Sarah. I assume you dropped him, though.”

       Silence.

       “Sarah,” Josh said slowly. “You’re not giving him a second chance. Right?”

       “We have a date tomorrow at a club.”

       “Sarah!” If Josh wasn’t such a cautious driver, he would have taken his hands off the wheel and buried his face in them. “Why do you keep doing this?”

       “He really seemed different to me, Joshua. Kinder than the rest. That’s why I’m giving him a second chance. And he really deeply apologized to me afterwards.”

       “That doesn’t change what he did, though.”

       “It’s not _that_ bad, he just cancelled plans. One more chance. Then, I swear, he’s out.”

       “It’s your decision. Just be careful.”

       “I will. How’s tour?”

       “Not bad. I’m driving now. Traffic’s a nightmare. All we’ve done is hit up the grocery store and drive, but it’s actually pretty fun. And…” Josh wanted to tell Sarah about Tyler; they told each other everything. And Sarah would definitely be less taunting about it than Dallon. But the boys were still in the bus, and Josh didn’t want everyone to hear about his blooming crush. “There’s something else. Something good. But I’ll text you about it.”

       “Oh my God, Joshua Dun, have you found a guy?”

       “Damn. You’re good.”

       “It’s only been like half a day. You are _thirsty._ ” Josh laughed. “Where’d you meet a guy, anyway? The grocery store?”

       Josh glanced in the mirror. Dallon was asleep at the table, Kenny was strumming his guitar with earbuds in, Dan was nowhere to be seen (most likely in the bathroom), while Brendon was sprawled out on a bunk in the back of the bus. He was probably safe to talk. “He’s in the opening band,” he said in a hushed tone.

       “So he’s musical! I bet you are just _swooning_ right now.”

       “According to Dallon, I was anything but subtle.”

       Sarah laughed. Josh smiled just hearing it; her laugh sounded like tinkling wind chimes. It reminded him of home. Which he had only been away from for a matter of hours and already kind of missed. _Pull it together, Josh._

“Anyway, be careful with that guy,” he told her.

       “Yeah, you too,” she said teasingly.

       “I will.”

       *

       Josh pulled into the venue parking lot. It was a not-so-huge but not-too-small club, just an hour from the center of LA. It was late at night when they arrived, and Josh was tired from driving nonstop, but he had Tyler’s songs in his head and felt pretty content nevertheless.

       “Are we here?” Brendon was walking down the bus stretching and widening his eyes. “Oh my God.”

       “What?” The other boys got up too and peered out the windshield.

       “It’s just… This is the beginning. Of everything for us. You know?” Brendon was quiet for once.

       “Yeah. I know,” Kenny replied, petting his guitar and staring at the bright red letters in the window, “THE L.A. BEAT.”

       Josh unlocked his phone and sent a quick text to both his mom and Sarah, both which read, “Here,” with a picture of the club.

       Sarah responded first.

 **Sarah:** XD have fun!

       Josh’s thumb hovered over his phone’s lock button, but he pulled it away, still worried about Sarah and her latest exploit, and sent her one more message.

 **Josh:** Hey just for purposes of protecting you. What’s this guy’s name?

 **Sarah:** Don’t worry, you don’t have to beat him up for me :) but his name’s Brendon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the kudos and nice comments! Tell me what you think of chapter 2, hope you enjoyed:)


	3. The Show

_Delivered._

       That’s what it said under the twenty or so texts Josh had shot back to Sarah Orzechowski the night before.

       _Delivered_ , but not _read._

       Obviously, Josh had a million questions, most of which he probably knew the answer to without needing confirmation from Sarah.

       Was Brendon Urie, sleeping in the bunk above Josh that very moment, capable of playing his amazingly sweet friend? Did he have the potential to be such a dick?

       Absolutely.

       And as much as Josh would have liked to punch the lead singer of Panic! At The Disco right on spot the second he received Sarah’s text the night before, he didn’t want to do anything without talking to her first.

       So he had gone to bed without throwing any punches.

       Don’t make any mistake in thinking that Josh was a sweet, peaceful person, not inclined to commit violent acts. Of course he was; but when it came to the people he loved, Josh was very protective.

       He climbed out of his cramped bunk at 8:35 a.m. and stumbled out of the back of the bus to see Kenny lounging at the table with a bowl of granola.

       “Mornin.”

       “Hey, Kenny.” Josh sort of tripped over his own feet as he searched for the Cap’n Crunch, eyes still half closed, before remembering that Tyler had the last box in the other bus. He sighed in frustration and fell onto the couch, but at the same time felt a little flutter of happiness in his chest at the pure remembrance of _Tyler_.

       “You are _not_ a morning person, huh?” Kenny chuckled.

       “You have no idea.”

       “Yooooo.”

       There was a thump as Brendon Urie toppled out of his bunk and slurred his morning greeting. Josh felt a burst of anger as he heard him.

       “The sleeping beauty rises!” Kenny commented, as his band mate fell into the seat across from him, sporting an intense case of bed head. “You’re usually not up until, like, noon.” He took a sip of coffee, glancing at Brendon amusedly over the mug.

       “Josh woke me when he got up. So annoying.”

       Josh just glared at Brendon, who took in his unhappy expression and chuckled.

       “Dude, chill. It was a joke.”

       The bus was dead silent as Brendon waited for a response from Josh, which never came.

       “Ooookay, then. Not a morning person, I guess. Hey Kenny, how’s that coffee?” Brendon asked, undeterred by the awkwardness. Josh, however, stayed still in his spot on the couch, silently cursing himself for not being able to hold it together until he talked with Sarah first. He didn’t want to fight with Brendon, but his protective instincts over his best friend were telling him otherwise.

       “It’s literal shit.”

       “Nice.”

       “I’m sorry, what’s shit?” Dallon was leaning on the doorway to the back of the bus, looking about as awake as Brendon. “Is it the quality of sleep you were getting? I doubt it, because all of you are short as _fuck_ , while I am nearly six and a half feet tall. It’s not very comfortable in five foot long trailer bunks.”

       “Sorry, man. Sleep on the couch next time,” Kenny said. “But no, we were talking about this coffee.”

       “Oh, awesome!” Dallon perked up. “It’s not the tour life if we have quality coffee.”

       “Exactly,” Brendon agreed. He went to grab the tub of coffee grounds at the counter behind the front of the bus, but Josh snatched it first. “Dude. Can I have some of that?”

       Josh didn’t respond. He didn’t trust himself to say anything to Brendon without blowing up.

       “Dude! What’s your problem today?”

       Josh couldn’t help it; he broke. “Did you give Sarah Orzechowski your number?”  

       Brendon was taken aback. “What?”

       “Did you meet a girl named Sarah and give her your number?”

       “Yes…?”

       “And did you shower her in compliments, then say you were going to go on a date with her, and ditch at the last moment?”

       “What the hell? Have you been reading my texts or something? What’s your problem?”

       “My _problem_ ,” Josh growled, “is that she’s my best friend. And you were a complete dick to her!”

       “Wait, hold up,” Dallon cut in. “I thought _I_ was your best friend.”

       “Do you know she has complete faith in you?” Josh asked Brendon angrily, ignoring Dallon. “Do you know what assholes she’s been with in the past, yet she still believes _you’re_ going to do the right thing?”

       “I didn’t _do_ anything, man!” Brendon yelled back. “If you’d just let me _explain_ —“

       “No, you don’t need to explain, she told me what you did.”

       Brendon rolled his eyes. “I only cancelled the date because—“

       “Because you’re going on _tour_ and didn’t _tell_ her?”

       “ _No!”_ Brendon hesitated. “Well, yeah, but you don’t know the whole story!” he protested.

       “Yeah, sure. What’s the whole story, then?” Josh’s voice was pure anger.

       “I’ll _tell_ you, if you just _CALM D—“_

       “Whoa.”

       Tyler was standing in the entrance of the bus, one hand still on the door handle. In the other hand he held the box of Cap’n Crunch. “What did I just walk in on?”

       Josh’s anger dissipated slightly at the sight of Tyler, his eyes wide and body frozen. “Nothing.”

       “Doesn’t look like nothing.”

       Josh didn’t know how to respond, embarrassed that Tyler had caught him mid-tantrum, not to mention not dressed and with uncombed hair.

       “Okay, well, I brought this cereal for us, Josh,” he said, looking down at the box he was holding, “since you didn’t come into my bus for it yet.”

       “Oh, thanks.” Josh reached up and awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. “Want to eat it in the other trailer?” The tension in the current one was thick enough to strangle someone, so Josh didn’t really see it as an ideal breakfast environment.

       “Uh, that might not be the best place. Things aren’t exactly calm over there, either. Wanna go outside?”

       “Yeah sure,” Josh smiled nervously, back to his normal self. He ignored Brendon staring, most likely marveling at his rapid change in mood.

       “Ooh, Captain Crunch!” Dan had just emerged from the bunks and was staring avidly at Tyler’s cereal. “Can I come?”

       “Actually, Dan, I smuggled some in from home yesterday. Come back here.” He led the drummer away, mouthing the words, _I don’t really have any!_ and shooting Josh a wink as he left. Josh desperately hoped Tyler hadn’t seen it.

       “Come on, Josh.” Tyler pushed the trailer door open. They slipped outside.

       “Sorry about that,” Josh apologized as they walked towards the edge of the club’s parking lot.

       “It’s okay. What happened?”

       “Brendon just… did some stuff. It’s complicated. Don’t worry about it.”

       “We’ve got nothing but time.” Tyler sat down on the grass and held the box up to Josh. He accepted it and sat down next to him.

       “Okay, well, basically…” He told Tyler about Sarah’s rocky history with guys, and how her latest betrayal had been committed by Brendon, who refused to take responsibility for being, in Josh’s words, “a classic douche.”

       “Ouch,” Tyler said empathetically, reaching in for another handful of cereal.

       “Yeah. I should probably give him a chance to explain later, or whatever.” They ate in silence for a bit. “What’s going on with your band? You said things aren’t going well with them either?”

       Tyler groaned. “Yeah, we’ve been getting into arguments lately. Really petty things, ya know, just like… the order of songs to play in a set, or who should announce the band on stage. Today, Chris woke up to see that Nick and I had changed the set list without his—“ Tyler bounced his fingers in overdramatic air quotes— “’full and utmost consent,’ so he freaked about the power balance within the band.”

       Josh laughed, then stopped himself, thinking that Tyler might have been offended by his taking amusement in the singer’s problems, but he just laughed along with Josh. “Yeah, we need to get it together or this tour is gonna be a nightmare.”

       “Oh, speaking of your band. I listened to your music last night. Like, all of it. It’s _really_ good.” Josh hoped that didn’t sound creepy; he just told Tyler that he had spent hours listening to all his music in one day.

       “Really?” Tyler’s eyes brightened. “You liked it?”

       “Yeah, man!” Josh adjusted the way he was sitting so he was full on facing Tyler. “Honestly, I’ve never heard anything like it before. In a good way,” he added. Tyler laughed lightly, and Josh could almost make out the faint trace of a blush in his cheeks.

       “Thanks, that means a lot. Honestly, we haven’t gotten much outside feedback. This tour is kind of my first time putting my music out there, for everyone to see. I mean, I would play by myself back in Columbus, but only in, like, a few local venues.”

       Josh’s face practically lit up. “No way, Columbus, Ohio?”

       Tyler nodded eagerly.

       “I’m from there, too!”

       “No way!”

     “Yeah, I moved here, like, three years ago. LA’s great, and everyone in Panic! definitely loves it a lot, but Columbus will always be home to me.”

       “Me, too,” Tyler agreed. “Though, at least I found Chris and Nick here. I would still be a lone singer without them.”

       “Yeah. There’s that,” Josh agreed; but he couldn’t help the feelings of jealousy that flared up as he glanced at Tyler’s tour bus.

*

       “No, Chris… I can’t play bass _that_ close to the back of the stage… No, just let me move it.”

       The stage was being set for Twenty One Pilots, and Josh grinned to himself despite the drama going on between band members. The excitement of playing a show was already creeping up on him, and it was only midday; not to mention Josh wasn’t even in either of the bands playing. To be honest with himself, though, he was really excited to see Tyler sing. Just listening to the recordings the night before, Josh had been amazed at how much emotion and energy his new friend had been able to channel through his music; he couldn’t imagine how intense a live show must be.

       “Hey, stranger.”

       Josh looked around, startled, at Tyler, who had nudged his shoulder. He was watching his band mates fight over the stage setup.

       “Hi!” Josh broke out into a smile.

       “You watching this drama?” Tyler nodded to Nick and Chris. “Kind of turning you off to our band, huh?” he joked.

       “Not in the least,” Josh replied earnestly. “I am _so_ excited to watch you tonight! I mean, you guys. Your band.”

       Tyler laughed. “Thanks! I really hope you like it.”

       “Don’t worry, I will,” he assured him. “I really want to hear you play in person.”

       Tyler opened his mouth, about to respond, when a club manager yelled, “SOUND CHECK! We have to make this happen before we open the club. You guys have fifteen minutes to get your shit together.”

       “Sorry, that’s my cue,” Tyler said sheepishly. Josh waved as he headed towards the stage. He caught himself staring at the singer’s legs; he was wearing black thigh-length shorts, and his skin was extremely tan. Josh could see the toned muscles moving beneath it, and for a moment the scene transfixed him. Finally, his ringtone awoke him from his stupor.

       “Sarah?”

       “Hey!” she replied cheerfully from the other end. “Sorry, I just saw you had texted me, but I didn’t get a chance to read them. What’s up?”

       “Have you ever actually _met_ the rest of Dallon’s band?”

       “No.” Sarah sounded apologetic. “Sorry, I should probably have listened to their music by now, it would have been more supportive of you.”

       “No, not what I meant. Where are you now?”

       “Uh, coming up to the highway. Why?”

       “Are you driving out to meet Brendon?”

       “Yeah! I’ll tell you how the date goes, okay? But if you don’t have anything to tell me that’s not a warning about this guy, then I should probably go. I don’t like talking while on the highway, you know how it distracts me.”

       “Wait, Sarah, you shouldn’t go on this date. Brendon, he’s—“

       “Byeeee, Josh.”

       “Sarah!” She hung up. “ _Ugh!”_ He stuffed his phone back in his pocket.

       “Dude!” Brendon was sprinting up to him, out of breath. “Did you just talk to Sarah?”

       “Yeah.” Josh scowled.

       “What did you say? You didn’t tell her to ditch me tonight, did you?”

       “No, I didn’t have the chance, she hung up.”

       “Thank God.”

       “What do you mean? Do you not understand what you did to her?”

       “No, dude, _you_ don’t understand,” Brendon insisted. “I cancelled our date yesterday on purpose.”

       Josh paused, but Brendon didn’t clarify,. “How’s that supposed to make me feel any better?”

       “Because. I had planned all along to reschedule and tell her to meet me at this club tonight, here, when she could come see me play. I thought it would, you know… Make me look cool. She would come in and be all, ‘OMG! You’re in a band? That’s so hot!’ and it would be a lot better than a boring dinner date.”

       “Why didn’t you just tell her the truth in the first place? Why was all the lying necessary?”

       “Be _cause_ , I wanted it to be a surprise. She thinks we’re just having drinks tonight.”

       “So you thought serenading her with some songs would make up for the lies and for being a dick?”

       Brendon paused. “Yes?” He said hesitantly. “Give me a break, man. I didn’t really think this through.”

       “Clearly.”

       “DAMN it!” Tyler shouted from the stage. Josh whipped around.

       “What’s wrong?” Josh yelled back.

       “Chris is gone!” Tyler threw his hands in the air helplessly. “We can’t do sound check without a drummer!”

       “Where’d he go?” Josh asked, hopping up on stage with Tyler.

       “Dunno, stormed off somewhere.”

       “He was pissy with me setting up,” Nick added, a navy blue bass swung around his neck.

       Tyler sat down on the stage, clearly done with everything.

       “I can do sound check for Chris,” Josh suggested hesitantly.

       Tyler looked up. “Wait, what? You can play drums?”

       “ _Can he play drums?”_

       Dallon had somehow appeared behind Josh, ready to jump in at just the right moment.

       “CAN Joshua Dun play the drums? Ha!” He laughed dramatically before replacing the smile on his face with a dead-serious expression. _“Josh Dun can play the drums like you’ve never heard them before.”_

Josh scratched his neck, slightly embarrassed.

       Tyler stared at Josh, looking amazed. “Dude. Why didn’t you tell me that?”

       “It didn’t come up,” Josh said, shrugging.

       “Alright, well, get on over there!” he shoved Josh playfully towards the set. He found a pair of sticks under the seat and picked them up, getting a feel for the instrument. He had only been away from his own drums at home for a day, but it still felt refreshing to be sitting at a set again.

       “We always do _Fall Away_ for sound checks. Did you listen to that one?”

       Josh nodded. He had listened to all of them.

       “Okay. I know you don’t know the exact music, but…”

       “I’ll just improvise.”

       Tyler nodded and turned back around, facing an empty dance floor and breathed into the mic. _“One, two, three!”_

Chris started with the simple piano melody, and Tyler jumped in. Josh’s heart was beating at a strength he was pretty sure wasn’t healthy. _He was playing with Tyler Joseph._

       “ _I don’t wanna fall, fall away. I don’t wanna fall, fall away. I’ll keep the lights on in this place. Cause I don’t wanna fall, fall away.”_

And Josh started playing. A simple beat, but it fit perfectly. Tyler’s shoulders automatically relaxed as Josh joined in, and they went from there.

       Josh was already in love with Tyler’s singing voice from the first few lines. It was so smooth, and definitely unique. He had an edge to his voice that Josh had never heard in any band before. But when he started to rap, Josh practically forgot to play. He noticed Dallon’s smug face watching from the bar, and immediately refocused.

       The song wasn’t a very intense one in terms of the drums, so Josh wasn’t given the opportunity to show his full potential with the low-key beat. Nor did he get to finish the song, as Chris stomped up to him midway through and demanded to know what he was doing.

       “My drum set, man.”

       “Your _band, too_ , Chris,” Tyler said with an edge to his voice, turning around. “But when you don’t show up for sound check, we have to continue. So lay off of Josh, He did great in your absence.”

       Josh stood up and passed Chris the drumsticks without a word. Chris glared at him and sat down.

       “Sound check’s over,” Tyler said, clearly annoyed. “Josh, that was amazing.”

       “Same to you,” Josh replied with a smile. Tyler returned it.

*

       Josh stood in a sea of people. It was 11 pm, and the club was filled with partygoers.

       He had helped Panic! set up for the rest of the day, and now it was time to wait. He had done all he could to ‘provide moral support’ for Dallon, who had forced him to apologize for calling Sarah his best friend. Now all there was left to do was wait.

       Twenty One Pilots had already come on and off the stage, playing five songs and leaving Josh in a state of complete awe. He had been front and center on the dance floor, his eyes glued to Tyler the whole time. Feeling like their music had really resonated with him, Josh had not been let down; his high expectations for their live show had definitely been exceeded. Their set had just ended, and Josh was about to go congratulate Tyler when someone said his name.

       “Josh?”

       He turned around to see Sarah, in blue skinny jeans, brown heeled boots, and a white blouse, her medium-length brown hair laid perfectly down her shoulders.

       “What are you doing here? I didn’t tell you the address of the club I was going to, did I?” she asked suspiciously.

       “No, I’m actually here for unrelated reasons…”

       “Okay, well, I need to find Brendon.”

       She started to walk away, but Josh put a hand on her shoulder and stopped her. “He’s not going to be in the crowd.”

       “What do you mean?”

       The floodlights over the stage dimmed, replaced with purple spotlights. Four figures walked on stage, faces unrecognizable in the shadows; one with a bass, one holding a guitar, one seated at the drum set—

       And one, in front of the microphone, front and center stage.

       Josh nodded his head towards the singer. “Panic! At The Disco: Dallon’s band, fronted by the one and only Brendon Urie. I hope you like pop punk.”

 

      

        


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lol brendon is such an idiot in this chapter, I'm facepalming at everything I write for him
> 
> I hope you guys are enjoying this so far, thanks for the kudos and comments! tell me how you liked this chapter :)


	4. The Drink

       “Dude. _Please_ do not kill yourself after the first show of this tour. We have, like, thirty left.”

       The whole crew plus Sarah was hanging out at a nearby bar in celebration of their first successful gig, crowded around Brendon as he knocked back an unholy amount of tequila shots, one by one. Tyler was protesting, but to no avail.

       “Don’t waste your energy, man,” Dallon advised him loudly, leaning to yell in Tyler’s ear above the noise of the bar. “It’s no use trying to stop him. He’s a lightweight anyway, just watch; in half an hour he’ll be throwing up and we’ll have to take him back to the bus.”

       Josh was watching Sarah, who was sipping a drink and watching her date, clearly amused. Any girl that dated Brendon would have to be pretty strong-minded to put up with his antics, but Josh knew Sarah could take it, even though he himself wasn’t going to let go of his protective instincts over her any time soon.

       “Hey, Josh. Want to get a drink?” Tyler nudged his shoulder. Josh nodded and followed him to the bar, just as Brendon choked on his umpteenth shot.

       “So tell me,” Tyler said as he and Josh pulled themselves onto stools. “Why aren’t you in a band?”

       Josh blushed.

       “Seriously, man. You’re an amazing drummer. You could be part of something amazing. I was super impressed after the set today.”

       After Twenty One Pilots had finished playing, Josh had left Sarah on the dance floor and disappeared backstage. Chris had immediately left for a drink, and Tyler insisted that Josh show him more on the drums. So Josh had gone all-out, and by the end of ten minutes he was practically sweating onto the drum set and Tyler was gawking at him.

       “You weren’t the only one. Your show was amazing! And the last song you played? What was that one called?”

       “Trees.”

       “Yeah, that one!” Josh responded enthusiastically. “It was my favorite.”

      

       “Really? It’s one of my favorites, too. We always play it last. It just feels right.”

       Josh nodded, totally understanding. “Like it’s cleansing, or something. That’s what it sounded like, at least. If that makes any sense.”

       “No, no, it totally does!” Tyler exclaimed. “That’s exactly what I mean. I love Chris-- when he’s not being a dick, at least-- but he doesn’t really care about that type of thing, you know? Neither does Nick, I guess.” He frowned. “Maybe I just care too much about the little things.”

       “You say that like it’s a bad thing,” Josh said, surprised. “I think it gives your band more character. Or else it wouldn’t be very special.”

       Tyler smiled at him. “Yeah. I think so, too. Thanks.”

     “Hey, guys!” Nick collapsed into the seat next to Josh, very drunk. “What is happening? What are you guys thinking—I mean TALKING about?” He laughed, then hiccupped.

       “Uh, nothing, man.” Tyler giggled. “How are you feeling?”

       “Great! Hey, Josh, good job drumming! You’re, like—“ he hiccupped, “maybe better than Chris!”

       Josh hoped Tyler couldn’t see his face going red. “Uh, thanks, but maybe don’t say that when Chris is around.” He glanced around the bar nervously. “I’m pretty sure he hates me ever since sound check today.”

       “He doesn’t hate you,” Tyler said.

       “Well, he doesn’t like me, that’s for sure.”

       “Guys, take these glasses of alcohol before I drop them all over myself.” Dallon approached with a cluster of drinks in his hands, followed by Dan and Kenny. Nick and Tyler both grabbed one.

       “Thanks, man,” Tyler said appreciatively. “I invited Josh for a drink but totally forgot to get him one. Sorry,” he said, handing one to him.

       “That’s okay. Where are Brendon and Sarah?” Josh asked, accepting the drink from Tyler.

       “Brendon zipped out to upchuck all the tequila he consumed, and Sarah followed him. Best of luck to her,” Dan said, shaking his head.

       “Told you,” Dallon said to Tyler. “It was inevitable.”

       “I’m gonna go check on them, one sec.” Josh excused himself and hopped down from the bar. He slipped outside into the cool air to see Sarah and Brendon sat against the building, Brendon’s head in Sarah’s lap, passed out. Sarah was lightly stroking his hair. She noticed Josh staring and waved to him. He waved back before turning to go back inside. She would be fine.

       Once Josh made it back to his friends and had reclaimed his spot next to Tyler, it was obvious that the singer was considerately more intoxicated than he had been ten minutes ago.

       “Josh! Joshjoshjoshjosh. Josh, hey, you’re back. Took you long enough! HA! Am I right, lads?” He took a swig of his drink and laughed loudly.

       “Uh, how many drinks did he have while I was gone?” Josh asked, chuckling.

       “Just one!” Dallon was cracking up. “Turns out Brendon isn’t the only lightweight on this tour. Your boy could definitely beat him, Josh.”

       Josh glanced at Tyler, hoping he didn’t realize that Dallon had referred to him as ‘his boy.’ Luckily, Tyler seemed to be too drunk to notice and just high-fived Nick five times in a row for no reason.

       Josh pulled Dallon aside. “Hey. You told me to be subtle in front of Tyler, but can you please take your own advice?”

       “Dude, you owe me. I got you to play drums at sound check today, remember?”

       “Yeah, and now Chris shoots me a death glare every time I see him.”

       “Who cares about Chris? Tyler was super impressed, he said so himself. You’re one step closer to hitting that because of me.”

       “Dallon!”

       “What? He can’t hear you. I’m _helping._ Anyway, he’s totally into you, too.”

       “You can’t tell that.”

       Dallon shrugged. “Believe what you want. But you should probably take him back to his trailer.”

       They turned to look at Tyler, who was slamming an empty glass onto the bar counter and shaking his head rapidly back and forth, as if he was shaking water from his hair.

       “That kid needs some supervision…if you know what I mean.” Dallon waggled his eyebrows at Josh.

       “Shut up.” But he went back to Tyler anyway. “Hey, buddy, I think it’s time to go back to the bus.”

       “Okay.” Tyler grabbed Josh’s arms, and the drummer helped him down from his seat.

       Kenny watched in amusement as Josh maneuvered the drunken boy around the immediate crowd. “Good night, Tyler.”

       “Farewell, Kenneth.” Tyler saluted him before stumbling over the floor. Josh caught him; he could practically feel Dallon’s smirk on the back of his neck.

       “Alright, come on, Ty. You okay?” He finally pulled Tyler away from the crowd.

       Tyler giggled. “I like when you call me that, Joshie.”

       Josh blushed at the nickname and wrapped an arm around Tyler’s waist as he fell again. It was crazy how quickly he had gotten drunk. Josh had barely any less to drink than Tyler had, but he had always had a high tolerance for alcohol; he usually ended up being the designated driver because of it. Luckily, though, the trailers were still parked at the club they had played at just across the street, so Josh didn’t have to drive anywhere.

       He led Tyler to the buses and tugged on the Twenty One Pilots door before realizing he had no key.

       “Tyler, do you have the keys to your bus?”

       Tyler giggled. “The key to _your heart._ ”

       Josh blushed, even though he knew Tyler was drunk, and resisted the urge to kiss his cute face right then and there. Because, damn, if Tyler didn’t look adorable as fuck-- his hair was messed up and his eyes were droopy, but it was an endearing look on him. Instead, he stuck his hand down Tyler’s pockets, finally pulling out a set of keys.

       “Alright, which one is your bunk?” Josh asked Tyler once they were inside the bus. It wasn’t as big as the one that Panic! was using, but that was probably because not everyone was as rich as Dallon’s uncle who had let them borrow it, and because only three people had to fit in this one.

       “That one,” said Tyler, rubbing his eyes. “Wait, no. _That_ one.” He pointed to the one across from the first one.

       “Okay, we’ll just hope it’s this one, then.” Josh gently helped Tyler into the bunk, pulling off his shoes for him when he realized Tyler was about to fall asleep with them on.

       “Hey Josh.” Tyler’s eyes were nearly closed, and he was curled in a ball. Josh was stepping away from the bunk but came closer when Tyler whispered, “Come here.”

       “Yeah, Ty?” Josh was crouching right in front of him now.

       “You’re cute, Joshie.” Tyler poked Josh’s nose, then promptly dropped his eyelids and started snoring.

       Josh knew Tyler was only saying that because he was drunk, but that didn’t stop the feeling of butterflies in his stomach or pounding heart.

       “Good night, Tyler.” He turned off the light.

       Inside his own tour bus, Josh glanced at the couch to see Brendon and Sarah asleep together. Seeing them like that, so peaceful, he felt bad freaking out at them earlier. Maybe they wouldn’t be so bad together after all.

       Josh retreated into the bunk area and quickly undressed before climbing into his cramped sleeping space and curling up under the covers. He smiled to himself.

       _Tyler had called him cute._

 _Drunk Tyler,_ he reminded himself.

       But still. He had booped his nose. That must count for something, right? Even in an intoxicated state?

       Josh knew he shouldn’t take pleasure in Tyler being a drunken mess. Still, though, he couldn’t stop the smile that crept across his lips right before he fell asleep.

       *

       _Ow._

That was the first thought in Tyler’s mind as he woke the next morning.

       The second thought was, _Shit._

He was hung over. That much was clear, from his pounding headache and extremely dry throat. Lovely.

       Then, a memory came rushing back; a memory of Josh putting him to bed? It was blurry, but that’s what had happened.

       Then his thoughts turned to something like, _shit fuck crap holy shit._

What had he said to Josh?

       He had probably made a fool of himself.

       His friends had told him in the past that he had a slight blabbermouth when he drank. Maybe the exact words had been _extreme_ blabbermouth _._

But had he said too much?

       Had he mentioned how gorgeous Josh’s bright blue hair was, but how it didn’t compare to the beauty of the rest of his face? Or how his smile was so dorky and cute that Tyler just wanted to kiss it all the time? Because that was basically his internal monologue whenever he was around the drummer.

       Which was crazy. He was crazy. He had only known Josh for, like, _two days._

       Tyler groaned as he arose from his bed, Nick and Chris still sound asleep around him. He got dressed and immediately downed two painkilling pills for his pounding head. Now he had to eat something.

       He stared at the half-eaten box of Cap’n Crunch on the table.

       If he was going to approach Josh, might as well do it now. He grabbed the cereal and slipped out of his bus, desperately hoping that he hadn’t said anything embarrassing to Josh the night before that would make Josh hate him.

       He was about to knock on the Panic! trailer when he saw the boy in question inside, walking around. Tyler waved widely, trying to catch his eye. Josh saw him and smiled.

       _Thank God._

Tyler waved him outside.

       “Hey, Tyler!” Josh jumped over the stairs and onto the parking lot.

       “Good mornin’! Ready for breakfast?”

       “Always.”

       They sat where they had the morning before, munching on cereal.

       “How’s your hangover?” Josh said, grinning.

       “Ugggh.” Tyler groaned. “How bad was I last night?”

       “Let’s just say,” Josh said slowly, “I didn’t know anyone could get that drunk off of that little alcohol.”

       “Did I happen to say anything… that I wouldn’t have said had I not been drunk?”

       Josh stopped moving for a second, then reached for more cereal, not making eye contact with Tyler. “Nope.”

       Tyler studied his face. “Josh. You’re lying.”

       “No, I’m not.”

       “Just tell me!”

       “You said I was cute.”

       Silence.

       “I wasn’t wrong.” Tyler looked up cautiously, hoping he hadn’t fucked everything up.

       “Really?”

       “Really.”

       Josh stared at Tyler and leaned in closer. “Your eyes are brown like cinnamon. They’re nice.” His voice was soft, barely above a whisper.

       “And yours are brown like mocha. They’re beautiful.”

       Josh blushed. Their lips were an inch apart.

       “SHIT!”

       They both jumped up, hearts pounding, and looked towards the Panic! bus, where the voice of Brendon had arisen from quite loudly.

       Josh sighed inwardly. “Shall we go check on him?”

       “Yeah,” Tyler muttered, equally disappointed.

       They jogged up to the bus, and Josh opened the door. “Brendon, what was that?”

       “A text. I got a text.” Brendon was pacing the bus, staring at his phone, which had been thrown on the couch next to a groggy Sarah.

       “A text from who?”

       Brendon breathed out shakily.

       “From Ryan.” 

      

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> u guys i feel so bad for making Chris a pissy character but...plot devices ya know
> 
> Also if you wanna hmu on tumblr, my band account is patricks-fedorable-stump i scream about josh dun a lot there


	5. The Text

       “What do you mean, you got a text from Ryan?” Josh demanded. “Why would he text you?”

       “I don’t know,” Brendon replied in a panicky voice. He was pacing the bus faster now, running his hands through his hair over and over and throwing glances at his phone like it was a ticking time bomb. “He asked about our show dates, he wants to see one.”

       “Wait, who’s Ryan?” Tyler asked.

       “Yeah, why is he making you so upset?” Sarah questioned from the couch. “Brendon, calm down, it’s okay.”

       Brendon was anything but calm, now breathing in quick intakes of air.

       “What’s happening?” Dan emerged from the back of the bus in shorts and a t-shirt, yawning loudly. Dallon followed.

       “Ryan texted Brendon,” Josh explained.

       “Holy SHIT!” Dan yelled, now pretty awake.

       “What the fuck?! Why?” Dallon said.

       “Will someone explain what’s going on?” Tyler asked.

       Josh hesitated, then shot Sarah a meaningful glance and mouthed the word, _Remember?_ She looked confused for a second; then raised her eyebrows and formed a wide O with her mouth in recognition.

       “Tyler, come here.” Josh touched his shoulder and guided him over to the corner of the bus, out of earshot from the rest of the group. Tyler looked at him expectantly, arms crossed and eyes wide. Josh took a breath.

       “Okay, so, basically, when the band was just starting out, Ryan was the lead guitarist. He and Brendon got, like, super close, but then Ryan started to… manipulate Brendon. Like he knew Brendon was infatuated with him, so he could get him to do anything, and it turned into this abusive relationship sort of thing.”

       Josh waited for Tyler to ask questions, but he kept silent, listening intently.

       “Anyway, Dallon and Dan and I finally talked to him and got him to admit that what was going on was wrong, and he kind of broke down. It was pretty intense. But we supported Brendon when he ended things between them, and Ryan got pretty angry and left the band. Then Kenny took his place, and we haven’t heard from Ryan since.”

       Tyler glanced behind them. Sarah had gotten Brendon to calm down a bit; he was huddled next to her on the couch, her arm around his shoulders, but he still looked like he had just seen a ghost. The rest of the band was now crouched in front of him, attempting to make some sort of conversation.

       “Well, I can see why he’s so upset. Why the hell would Ryan text him? That shit’s messed up,” Tyler said.

       “Yeah, it is.” Josh sighed. “We told Brendon to delete and block his number, but I guess he was still too attached to Ryan at the time and didn’t actually do it.”     

       “Does Sarah know about him?”

       Josh nodded. “At the time, I told her all the drama that was happening in the band. She knows.”

       “So what do we do?” Tyler asked as Dallon and Dan approached them.

       “I say we give him a piece of our minds,” said Dan, fuming. “Send him a threatening text. Or even better, tell him to come to one of our shows and beat him the fuck up.”

       Josh was taken aback. He had never seen Dan so mad before; usually he was the calm one, keeping the real crazies (Brendon and Dallon) in check. “Dan, we can’t do that!”

       “Why not?” Dan snarled. “You remember the effect Ryan had on Brendon, Josh, you were _there._ He has no right to come prancing back into Brendon’s life—or any of ours, for that matter.”

       “I agree,” Josh replied patiently, “but that’s exactly why we can’t overact here. Look how affected Brendon is by a simple text. If he were to see Ryan at a show, even if you were beating him up or something, he would break. We just have to block his number and keep him out of our lives.”

      “I agree with Josh,” Dallon told Dan seriously. “We can’t give Ryan a reason to get more involved. If we freak out at him, he’ll return the shots. We can’t give him a reason to add fuel to the fire. You remember how he is; we provoke him, he’ll come back at us with twice the force.”

       “Revenge might feel good right now, but the number one priority is to protect Brendon,” Tyler added.

       Dan sighed. “Okay, so what do we do?”

       “We ignore the text, block the number, erase any contact we have with Ryan, and tell him nothing. He won’t be able to do anything, and will just forget.”

       “If we’re lucky,” muttered Dallon. “Persistent son of a bitch, that one.”

       They walked back over to the other three. Kenny looked up at them worriedly while Sarah rubbed little circles on Brendon’s shoulders.

       “Hey, buddy, can we see your phone?” Josh asked.

       Brendon looked up. “What are you going to do?” his voice was raspy and hoarse.

       “Delete that asshole’s number and block every possible way he could contact you,” Dallon said, taking the phone.

       “So you’re not going to respond?”

       “No. He doesn’t deserve a response.”

       “Don’t worry, you’ll never see him again, as long as we have any say in it,” said Tyler assuredly.

       “Thanks, guys.” Brendon smiled somewhat weakly.

       “We should hit the road soon,” Kenny said, as Dallon Ryan-proofed everyone’s phones.

       “Lunch first, though,” said Brendon. Josh grinned; the singer was returning to his normal self— that is, hungry 24/7.

       “Alright, where should we go?” Kenny asked.

       “Taco Bell,” Josh and Tyler both muttered at the same time. Everyone looked up.

       “Holy shit,” said Dallon. “You two are creepy.”

       Josh and Tyler looked at each other, as if suspicious.

       “You like Taco Bell?” Josh asked.

       “Uh, YEAH. It’s my favorite fast-food place,” Tyler answered enthusiastically.

       “Dude, same.” Josh was liking Tyler more and more by the second.

       “I wrote a _song_ about it a few years ago.”

       “Oh my God, I _have to hear this.”_

       “I think we _all_ have to hear this,” Dan added. The entire bus was grinning up at Tyler expectantly.

       “Okay, okay. I have it on my phone, just give me a second.” Tyler made his way to the front of the bus to plug his phone into the AUX.

       “Hey, Josh.” Sarah had untangled herself from Brendon’s side and approached him.

       “Sarah!” He hugged her. She had been with the group since the night before but Josh hadn’t had a chance to really talk to her yet. “Looks like you and Brendon are getting along pretty well.”

       “Yeah!” She looked so happy, Josh smiled too. “He’s really sweet, Josh.”

       “I know, I know, I was just… worried. His flirting tactics can be problematic at best.”

       Sarah laughed. “Well, you can be less critical of him. He’s trying.”

       “I know. So are you going to stay with us a little longer?”

       She sighed. “I don’t know. I was going to go back home soon, but in light of recent events--“ she glanced at Brendon on the couch, “—I think I’ll stay a little longer. To make sure he’s okay.”

       Josh nodded.

       “Ryan really messed him up, huh?”

       Josh sighed. “Yeah, he did. But Brendon will be okay, he gets distracted easily. Just put some food in him, that usually perks him up a lot.”

       Sarah punched his shoulder lightly. “I forgot to ask you about the guy you told me about over the phone? It’s him, right?” She nodded to Tyler.

       Josh blushed. “Shhh!”

       “Okay, guys. I must warn you, this will be the worst and best thing you have ever heard.” Tyler held up his phone. “Ready?”

       Everybody cheered.

       “Alright. Then, I give you, the Taco Bell Saga! By a tenth grade Tyler Joseph.” He pressed play.

       _“Fast food greasy taco I love…”_

       It only took one line of the song and the entire bus was overcome with cackling laughter. The song progressed and Josh made eye contact with Tyler, who broke into the cheesiest grin upon seeing Josh laugh like a maniac.

       “ _How is it I just ate, and now I have to poop?”_ sang a young Tyler.

       “PREACH, sir!” Brendon yelled, looking revived.

       “You found a good man, Josh,” Sarah whispered in his ear. “I approve.”

       By the time the song reached the chalupa chorus, everyone was basically rolling on the floor in laughter, and when the song ended, there was barely a second of silence before Dallon started a chant of “AGAIN! AGAIN! AGAIN!” Everybody joined in, forcing Tyler to replay the song.

       “Okay, okay, I’m glad you guys liked that,” Tyler said, laughing himself as the song started over again. “But now I’m actually in the mood for tacos, so can we drive?”

       “Yeah, Google Maps says the closest Taco Bell is 11 minutes away,” reported Dan.

       “Alright, I’ll meet you guys there,” said Tyler, heading for the door.

       “Wait, Tyler, can you leave your phone? I want to keep listening to this,” said Brendon.

       “Go for it.” Tyler waved and headed for his own bus.

       “Kenny, can you actually take your driving shift now?” Dan asked.

       “If you insist,” the guitarist replied, dancing to the chorus of, “BEEF AND CHEESE” as he walked to the front of the bus.

       By the time the Panic! bus had left the parking lot of their first tour venue and arrived at the nearest Taco Bell, Tyler, Chris, and Nick were already waiting for them outside the doors.

       “BEEF AND CHEESE!” Dallon yelled as he jumped out of the bus.

       “And lettuce!” everyone else called as they emerged from behind him.

       “I see you showed them your Taco Bell Saga, huh?” Chris asked Tyler.

       “Yeah, maybe it was a mistake,” Tyler said, laughing. “How many times did you guys listen to it?” he asked Josh, who was walking up to them.

       “Like three times,” Josh replied apologetically. “If you didn’t want us to love it, you shouldn’t have recorded such a masterpiece.”

       Tyler sighed. “Yeah, you’re right. It’s just too good of a song.”

       “So. What are you going to get?” Tyler asked Josh once they were in line.

       “Prolly a Cheesy Gordita Crunch,” he answered.

       Tyler nodded. “Good. I approve.”

       “That means so much, coming from the Taco Bell expert.”

       “That’s me!” Tyler giggled.

       Maybe Josh was staring at him too obviously with a huge grin plastered across his face, because Dallon leaned over him and whispered, “ _Subtle,”_ into his ear.

      There weren’t enough tables to seat all nine of them, so once everyone had their food, Tyler and Dan had to share a table with a random girl. Josh was a bit disappointed, as he had wanted to talk to Tyler more, but he let it go talked to Dallon instead.

       At noon, Nick suggested they get a head start on driving, since they needed eight hours on the road to make it to the next venue.

       Josh went to throw away his empty drink and saw Dan tapping Tyler on the shoulder, telling him it was time to go. Tyler, however, was busy talking to the girl across from him. She was pretty, with a wide smile and straight blonde hair down to her shoulders. Eventually, he pulled out his phone and gave it to her. They were both smiling (was that a _blush_ on Tyler’s cheeks?) as she punched what Josh assumed was her number into Tyler’s phone. Tyler stuffed his phone back into his pocket and said something else to the girl, then turned around and saw Josh standing there.

       Josh raised his eyebrows, but Tyler didn’t say anything, looking like a deer in the headlights.

       Josh scowled and turned away, shoving the door open a little harder than necessary, and left the restaurant without looking back.

      

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for leaving comments and kudos, y'all are the best <3


	6. The Song

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains angst. You've been warned

       “Josh! Josh, wait up!”

       Tyler frantically chased after the drummer, who was heading towards the Panic! bus at a very quick pace.

       “ _Josh!_ Wait, talk to me!”

       Josh finally stopped abruptly, Tyler halting right behind him. Josh turned around and looked into Tyler’s eyes, his expression a heartbreaking mix of anger and grief.

       Tyler’s eyes widened, appalled at Josh’s intense reaction at his interaction with a girl. “Josh, I didn’t mean—“ Tyler couldn’t finish his own sentence.

       “Didn’t mean _what?_ ” Josh asked quietly. He wasn’t a loud person when upset; he usually became morose instead of volatile, which only made Tyler feel worse. It would be more tolerable if Josh were yelling at him instead of standing there looking like a sad puppy.

       “No, Josh, it didn’t _mean_ anything—“

       “What didn’t mean anything? The flirting with me, or the flirting with the random girl in Taco Bell?” Josh turned away. “Whatever, Tyler, I think I got the message.”

       He returned to his bus, leaving Tyler alone in the parking lot.

*

       Tyler sat on the couch in his trailer as Chris maneuvered through traffic. His back was straight, his hands clasped; it was impossible to relax when he got anxious like this. His heart was wrenched with panic since ten minutes ago in the Taco Bell parking lot. Only thought was running through his brain: _Ifuckedupifuckedupifuckedup._

*

       “Joooooooooooooosh.”

       “Josh. Why are you moping? What happened with Tyler?”

       “Josh. I’m your _best friend._ Tell me.”

       The drummer lay in his bunk, curled up and facing the wall. He closed his eyes and ignored Dallon’s incessant pestering until he finally gave up and left. Josh let out a breath he didn’t realize he had been holding.

       Sarah was gone. They had driven back to their first venue, dropped her off at her car, and set off again. Josh had given her a quick hug, but everything was sort of blurry since his conversation with Tyler at Taco Bell. He figured she could tell something had been wrong though. She would probably text soon.

       Tyler probably though he was fucking _crazy._

He had acted like they were married and Tyler had cheated on him or something. They hadn’t even kissed yet, or said anything confirming the slightest bit of a relationship between them. Tyler had been freaked out by Josh’s outburst, he could tell.

       Then again… Josh hadn’t imagined the chemistry between them, had he? Tyler had said he was cute that very morning; hadn’t they nearly kissed? Didn’t Josh have a right to feel cheated on, after he and Tyler had done what they did, and then Tyler turned around and picked up the first girl he saw?

       Josh buried his face in his pillow. He didn’t want to think about this right now. He got too emotional over everything. He _hated_ that about himself. Even the smallest things would set him off, leaving him to think about how worthless he really was. He wasn’t as talented as Tyler, and not as interesting. Tyler probably became bored with him.

It didn’t make him feel less cheated on, though. He had hoped for something with Tyler. Hell, he had known him for three days; and in three days he had fallen for him, become hopeful as they had bonded, and then been dropped farther back than where he had started.

       Tyler hadn’t meant to hurt him, Josh figured. But it seemed that he didn’t care about him nearly as much as Josh had hoped.

       And that’s what made him feel so shitty.

*

       “Dude. _What’s_ going on with you and Josh?” Dallon asked Tyler the next day. They were hauling equipment from the trailers inside their next venue, a club in San Diego. The drive was supposed to take only two and a half hours, but that time had been doubled due to traffic, leaving Tyler plenty of time to ponder Dallon’s question himself.

       He sighed and dropped a huge box down onto the stage. “It’s complicated, Dallon, I don’t really know what’s going on either.”

       “Give me a summary.”

       “I fucked up.”

       Dallon raised an eyebrow. “You _like_ like him, then?”

       Tyler scoffed. “What, are we in middle school?” but he avoided the question. Dallon noticed.

       “Okay, well what are you going to do? Have you tried to talk to him?”

       Tyler shrugged. “He doesn’t seem very interested in interacting with me at the moment.” He glanced at Josh, who was helping Brendon haul microphone equipment while strategically avoiding his look.

       “So… You’re going to do nothing…?”

       Tyler shrugged again.

       “What a proactive pair you two are.”

       Honestly, Tyler was just scared. He was so into Josh, but he already messed things up once because he hadn’t thought things through at all. Now he felt as if a single wrong step could mess things up for good; if he hadn’t done that already.

*

       The next morning, ten hours before the two bands were set to go on and play their second night at the same venue, Dallon asked once again if Tyler actually liked Josh. He confirmed that he did, surprised that Dallon was asking _again,_ as if their conversation yesterday hadn’t been an indication.

       “You _really_ like him?” Dallon pushed.

       “God, Dallon, _yes.”_

       Dallon nodded and turned away, eyebrows dramatically raised in a way that let Tyler know he still had something to say.

       “What, Dallon?” Tyler sighed.

       The bassist shrugged. “I just think you’re being awfully non-active in trying to improve things with Josh for someone who apparently likes him as much as you do.”

       Tyler rolled his eyes, but felt a pang in chest even doing so. “I’ve already told you, _he_ doesn’t want to talk to me. We played that first show last night and he barely said anything to me, other than ‘yeah’ when I asked if he liked it.”

       “Well that’s something, huh?” Dallon said enthusiastically. “Anyway, if there’s one thing I’ve learned from Brendon Urie, it’s that you can’t let lack of interest from the other party get you down. It’s why a few women hate him, sure, but look, now he has Sarah.”

       “Something tells me I shouldn’t take your advice.”

       “Also,” Dallon continued as if he hadn’t heard Tyler, “I think Josh might be avoiding you for different reasons than you think. He tends to be hard on himself; I’d bet you he’s beating himself up for what happened just as much as you are yourself.”

       “Wait, Dallon,” Tyler called hesitantly, just as Dallon was walking away. “Has Josh said anything to you about… me?”

       “Nope. He’s pretty terrible about expressing himself. Even to his best friend.” Dallon paused, then turned around again. “Me. His best friend is me. Not Sarah. Just thought I’d set that straight with you. Meaning, I’m his primary protector. So if you go all gay for his ass, you have the Dalldong to answer to.”

       Tyler winced. “Please, don’t _ever_ call yourself that again.”

*

       “What’s her mom like?”

       Brendon and Josh were sitting at the bar, one hour before Twenty One Pilots was set to play. Brendon had cornered Josh and was forcing him to answer questions about Sarah so he could get to know more about her. It was pretty weird, but also kind of cute, though Josh would never in a million years actually admit that to Brendon. It was just nice to see him really put effort into a girl for once.

       “Dude, what the fuck.”

       “I’m serious! Tell me about her mom.”

     “You don’t think that’s creepy? You’ll be casually talking with Sarah and then, like, bring up some trivia you know about her mom? It’s weird.”

       “It’s not weird. It’s _charming.”_

“Okay, well, if that’s your goal, the first step to charming a girl is not drinking so much that you barf, so let’s slow it down with the tequila,” Josh advised, taking Brendon’s fresh glass and handing it back to bartender. Brendon pouted.

       “Sarah’s not even here tonight.”

       “No, but many other people are, who all want to see a band play, not a drunk lightweight throwing up.”

       “Hey, Josh?”

       Tyler.

       “I hate to ask, but… I need your help.”

*

       “Where did he _go?”_

       “I don’t even know!” Tyler threw his hands up in despair as they walked backstage. “He just said he was ‘busy.’ That’s not an _excuse._ This is the second time Chris has bailed on us this tour, and we’ve only _played_ two shows so far.” he sighed. “I really don’t know what I’m going to do with him, and I can’t keep asking you to take over on drums.”

       “I don’t mind, really,” Josh said. Had he and Tyler been on better speaking terms, Josh would have said the truth, which was more like, “I would literally pay to play with you every night.”

       “We really appreciate it, man,” Nick told Josh as he walked in with his bass. “Do you know the set list?”

       Josh nodded. It was short, only five songs. “Fall Away, Addict With a Pen, Air Catcher, Taxi Cab, and Trees.”

       “Good. We have about half an hour, so it might be a good idea to listen to them over so you know how to play them.”

       Nick disappeared. Tyler hesitated, and then followed. He was itching to talk to Josh and apologize, but… But he was a wimp. He knew that’s what he was. He would never get the guy, because he was too fucking _scared._

       But he had already messed up once. So if he could keep that number to a minimum, it would all be worth it.

       Right?

*

       Josh tapped out a rhythm on his knees, concentrating hard to get every single rhythmic pattern right.

       He had been listening to the five songs on repeat for the past twenty-five minutes, and was pretty sure it had it all down. Things had been so weird the past few days, but this was one thing that was familiar. Tour was confusing, relationships (Tyler) were confusing, but drumming? Drumming he could do.

       “Josh? It’s time.” Tyler poked his head behind the stage and then disappeared.

       Josh walked out on stage, his legs feeling somewhat like they were trudging through molasses. In a strange moment, he realized he had never really played in a band in front of an audience before.

       Tyler took his spot in front of the microphone and glanced back at Josh. He nodded reassuringly, and Josh took his seat at his—no, Chris’s—drums.

       Josh felt a little guilty for sitting at Chris’s set again, especially after how annoyed he had been the last time, but he reminded himself that Chris wasn’t here.

       _He_ was.

       “Hey, everybody. We’re a band called Twenty One Pilots. “ Tyler announced to the crowd. “I’m Tyler, this is Nick on bass, and that’s Josh back there on the drums.”

       Josh blinked. It was like he was a part of the band. His nerves fell away, and he stretched his arms, before readying his drumsticks.

       “This first one is called Fall Away.”

*

       _“And I said, don’t be afraid…”_

They were finishing up Taxi Cab, and Josh literally felt like he was floating. Could someone get high off of playing drums? Was that possible? Or maybe it was watching Tyler that amazed him so much.

       The kid was an _incredible_ performer. He poured more emotion and energy into one song than some people Josh knew poured into their _lives._ At one point during Addict With a Pen, Josh had stopped playing for a few seconds because he literally forgot to, watching Tyler sing and do his cute little jerk-dance thing as he pointed to the crowd. He was mesmerizing. Josh, meanwhile, was having the time of his life with the drums. It was a whole new experience, playing for a small venue, than alone in his basement. He loved it.

       “Thank you!” Tyler leaned into the mic as the song ended. “We have one more for you guys, it’s a song called Trees. Enjoy.”

       Josh took a deep breath. He was about to play one of his favorite songs, and _with Tyler._

       _“I know where you stand. Silent, in the trees. And that’s, where I am. Silent in the trees. Why won’t you speak where I happen to be? Silent, in the trees. Standing cowardly.”_

Josh hit the drums. He was in. He was doing it, and it felt _amazing._ He looked over to the side, where all of Panic! was standing, cheering him on. Dallon gave him a huge thumbs up.

       “ _I can feel your breath. I can feel my death. I want to know you, I want to see. I want to say… hello. Hello.”_

Josh picked up the pace, his beats growing louder and louder until he was full on slamming his arms down, sweat running down his chest. Tyler started singing again, and it felt kind of like a dance, the both of them playing music, intertwining; even though they weren’t making eye contact… until they were.

       Josh knew what was coming; the most intense part of the song, when the drums and the music were at their loudest, and Tyler was full on screaming the word ‘hello’ over and over. When it came, Tyler turned around and stared at Josh. He sang to him, voice growing and growing as Josh played harder, their eyes fiercely in contact the whole time.

       Tyler screamed his last “HELLO!” and dropped his microphone, breathing hard and looking into Josh’s eyes, as the crowd roared their applause. The club wasn’t even that big; but anyone standing in it could feel the intensity of the song they had just heard, and they loved it. But Tyler hadn’t turned around yet, and Josh hadn’t dropped his gaze from Tyler’s. When the applause finally died down, Tyler turned around and yelled, “WE’RE TWENTY ONE PILOTS, AND SO ARE YOU!”

       Josh dropped his sticks and stood up, making eye contact with Tyler again as he turned around. They rain offstage, Josh in front of Tyler, and into the backroom.

       Before Josh could even look up, Tyler was grabbing his hand from behind and spinning him around. He pushed the drummer against the backstage wall, and the next thing Josh knew, Tyler Joseph’s lips were crashing against his.

       He was kissing Tyler Joseph.

       Josh Dun was kissing Tyler Joseph.

       He felt like he was going to die right then and there. He would have been perfectly happy.     

       Finally, they pulled apart, both gasping for air. Tyler leaned his forehead against Josh’s sweaty shoulder, Josh’s arms on his hips, and for a few minutes, they just stood together, breathing heavily.

       “Do you think,” Tyler finally said in short, adrenaline-laced gasps, “that the girl from Taco Bell could possibly compare to _that_?”

       Josh let out a short laugh. “I certainly hope not.”

       And then they were kissing again, sweaty and out of breath, but _together._

 

      

      

      

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOOOO finally amirite  
> This one was so exhilarating to write haha i hope you guys liked it! Thanks for all the comments and everything, y'all are so nice <3
> 
> p.s. i am SO sorry for using the name Dalldong but I felt like it was only a matter of time before I had to include it so forgive me


	7. The Tree

       “Ah, northern California. The land of trees, trees, arson, and more trees. You gotta love it.”

       Dallon leaned against the bus window, a goofy grin plastered across his face. It was the next day, and the two bands were driving to their last show in the state of California. Josh was taking the driving shift, which Brendon had dodged yet again.

       “I like all the trees, though,” Josh mused.

       “Well of _course,_ you do,” said Dallon, dramatically rolling his eyes. “There are, like, an _unlimited_ number of branches for you and Tyler to climb and make out with each other on!”

       “Shut up,” Josh said, though he thought that actually didn’t sound like such a bad idea.

       He and Tyler had barely seen each other since they had walked out from backstage the night before, hand in hand, figuring it was better for their friends to see them like that than to try to hide a secret that would most likely not stay hidden for very long.

       “Well, you can’t do that _yet,_ that’s true. I still need to give him the boyfriend test before you two can so much as make eye contact again.”

       Josh blushed, glad that he was driving so Dallon couldn’t see him. “We’re not boyfriends.”

       Dallon pulled an imaginary pair of glasses down to the bottom of his nose and looked over the rims, making eye contact with Josh through the mirror. “Then what are you?”

       “I dunno,” Josh said quietly. “All we did was kiss.”

       “Maybe _backstage_ that’s all you did, but everyone in that bar was witness to you two basically having sex on stage.”

       “We just performed a few songs!”

       “The most intense performance _I’ve_ ever seen is when the singer and drummer stare intently at each other during an emotional scream-y song. Tyler was practically fucking you with his eyes during Trees, and you weren’t much better. You know it.”

       Josh didn’t respond. Did Tyler intend on being Josh’s boyfriend? _He_ certainly wanted to date Tyler; but maybe Tyler didn’t have the same idea.

       He saw a sign for a highway exit in two miles. “Dallon, can you ask the guys if they want to eat now? There’s an exit coming up.”

       “Do you really need to ask that? Every goddamn person on this tour is constantly hungry.”

       “Good point.” He turned on his blinker as the exit came up, knowing that the Twenty One Pilots bus would follow.

       As soon as Josh had parked in a strip mall lot and was getting out of his seat, someone knocked three times on the bus door.

       “Speak of the devil!” Dallon said, opening the door for Tyler before Josh could get there.

       “Dallon…” Josh wasn’t sure what was coming.

       “Morning, Dallon,” Tyler said, nodding his head. He turned around, obviously looking for Josh. His face lit up as soon as he saw him at the front of the bus, which made Josh feel all fuzzy and warm inside.

       Tyler started to walk towards him, but Dallon threw himself between them. Stone- faced, he said, “Not so fast. Your test starts now.”

       Tyler stared back. “May I have a moment to prepare?”

       Dallon narrowed his eyes. “That may be permitted.”

       Tyler turned around, closed his eyes, and took a dramatically deep breath, before letting it out with a loud, “AH.”

       Josh giggled and mouthed, _‘I’m so sorry,’_ from behind Dallon as Tyler turned around. Tyler winked back at him.

       “Stop making obscene face gestures to your boy toy,” Dallon scolded. “No contact may be made until, and if, you pass this test.”

       “Understood, sir,” Tyler replied obediently, holding his hands behind his back.

       “First question. What are your intentions with my beautiful best friend, Joshua William Dun?”

       “Oh my God, your middle name is William?” Tyler gushed, completely forgetting the rules and looking at Josh again. “That is so cute!”

       “Okay, this is obviously not going to work. Tyler, you’re coming with me. We are finishing this test in the bathroom, away from your red-haired beauty.”

       Tyler giggled and Dallon grabbed his arm, yanking him away. Josh smiled apologetically at Tyler before he disappeared.

       “Who’s making out in the bathroom?” Brendon asked, emerging from his bunk. “I could have sworn two people just ran in there.”

       “Dallon and Tyler,” Josh said.

       “Whoa, dude,” Brendon said, his eyes going wide. “Tyler’s cheating on you with Dallon in the bathroom?”

       Josh laughed. “No, what the fuck? Dallon’s just giving him his Boyfriend Test.”

       “Ooooh, Tyler’s your boyfriend now? Five minutes making out was all it took, huh?” Brendon winked.

       “No, we haven’t exactly had that conversation yet,” Josh said, nervously scratching his neck like he always did when slightly uncomfortable.

       “Well just ask him, man,” Brendon said, popping a few pieces of stale popcorn from two nights ago into his mouth. “I mean, I’m _pretty_ sure he likes you.”

       Josh waited for Tyler and Dallon to finish up, while Dan and Kenny came out of their bunks. They sat around, debating whether to eat lunch at McDonald’s or Subway. Finally, after fifteen more minutes, the bathroom door was thrown open and Dallon and Tyler emerged.

       Josh stood up. “So?”

       Dallon moved to the front of the bus. “SILENCE!” He held his arms up as if hushing a stadium. “Will the defendant please rise?”

       “Uh… I am risen,” Tyler said. The rest of the band watched avidly, not daring to interrupt Dallon in intense mode.

       “Will my best friend please rise?” Dallon yelled, ignoring Tyler’s comment.

       Josh and Tyler looked at each other, both trying not to laugh.

       “After careful interrogation, consideration, and ponderation—“

       “—not a word—“ Josh said quietly.

       “I have decided to allow Tyler Middle Name Joseph to court Joshua William Dun, UNLESS I decide at any point in time that the relationship be terminated.”

       The entire bus burst into applause, cheers, and whoops. Tyler raised his eyes at Josh at the last part of Dallon’s terms, but Josh just shook his head.

       “Just go with it.”

       “Lunch time now!” Brendon called, standing up. “Let’s celebrate with buying me food.”

       “You guys go ahead,” said Tyler. “I need to take a certain drummer out on a date at this very fancy highway rest stop.” He took Josh’s hand. Josh felt so giddy he thought his heart was going to beat so hard it would pump right through his chest.

       “I would be honored,” he told Tyler with a smile.

       “BE SAFE! USE A CONDOM!” Dallon yelled as they slipped out of the bus.

       Josh sighed once they were out of the bus. “I am so sorry about him. He’s a little intense. _Really_ intense.”

       Tyler laughed. “Nah, don’t apologize, it’s cute. He obviously really cares about you.”

       Tyler was still grabbing Josh’s hand as they walked slowly to the row of stores and restaurants at the edge of the parking lot. Josh felt happier than he knew he should at a simple hand-hold, but he couldn’t stop smiling.

       “What did he ask you in there?”

       “Honestly, it was a lot of intense staring more than questions. I think he wanted to intimidate me with the cramped bathroom space and evil glares. Don’t worry, I didn’t give in.”

       “I can see that,” Josh laughed. “Where are we going?”

       “ _I_ am going in the grocery store. You wait here. I’ll be out in a minute.” Tyler dropped Josh’s hand and planted a kiss on his cheek, then walked into the store and wiggled his eyebrows at him before disappearing inside, leaving Josh to stand alone, blushing and laughing at Tyler’s silliness.

       Josh only had a few minutes to think about how lucky he was right now before Tyler returned carrying a plastic bag and grabbed Josh’s hand again.

       “Where to now?” Josh asked.

       Tyler pointed beyond the parking lot. “Forest.”

*

       They were sitting on a branch together, high up in a tree, the bag of food (containing multiple boxes of Cap’n Crunch and four cans of Red Bull) slipped around a branch in front of them. Josh was trying not to think about how this was the exact scenario Dallon had teased him about earlier.

       “Thank you for this deluxe meal, Tyler Joseph.”

       Tyler held out his arms and dropped into as much of a bow as was possible when perched on a tree branch. “My pleasure.” He licked cereal crumbs off of his fingers. “So why do _you_ like cereal so much, Joshua Dun?”

       Josh shrugged. “It’s good.”

       “Spoken like a wise man.”

       They both laughed, and then sat in a comfortable silence for a few minutes.

       Josh’s heart beat quickly as he thought about what to do. He remembered Brendon’s words- _Just ask him, man._

If he was going to do it, he should do it now.

       “Hey Tyler, can I ask you something?” Josh forced himself to keep eye contact with the singer, so nervous he wanted to look away. “So, I was going to do this later, because this isn’t the most… ideal situation, I guess, but… I don’t know, seeing as we’re in a tree, and we performed Trees together when—“

       He was cut off by Tyler’s soft fingers on his chin, turning his head towards him and kissing him strongly. Josh forgot everything he was about to say as he leaned in closer to Tyler, mentally saving everything about this moment in his mind. He didn’t ever want to forget how happy he felt, his hands on Tyler’s shoulders and Tyler’s hands in his hair. Finally, he pulled away so he could get his question in.

       “Will you be my boyfriend?”

       Tyler broke into a huge grin and giggled the cute little laugh Josh had come to love so much, before pulling him in for another kiss.

       “I honestly want nothing else in the world than to be your boyfriend right now.”

*

       Tyler was cuddled next to Josh on the Panic! couch, his head on Josh’s shoulder and both of their hands intertwined in his lap. He had been grinning nonstop, he realized, but didn’t care. He was impossibly happy right now.

       The bus hit a speed bump extremely fast and practically flew through the air, shaking everybody inside.

       “SORRY!” Brendon called from the driver’s seat. He had finally accepted that it was his turn to drive, but now Josh was starting to regret the decision to let him. He wanted to give whoever had agreed to give Brendon his drivers’ license a strong suggestion to rethink that choice.

       Tyler had asked Nick to drive the other bus so he could spend time with his new boyfriend in the Panic! bus.

       His boyfriend.

       Tyler had a _boyfriend._

He giggled just thinking about it, and Josh planted a kiss on his head.

       “You two are utterly disgusting,” Dallon commented from the table across from them. “So much couch, yet you two are smushed together at one end. Could you possibly get any more close to each other?”

       In response, Tyler hugged Josh closer, and Josh wrapped his arm tighter around Tyler’s shoulders.

       “Ew.”

*

       Once both buses made it to the new venue, there were only two hours until Twenty One Pilots were set to play. Everyone helped rapidly set up the stage so it would be ready on time. As Josh was helping unpack a box of equipment backstage, someone tapped his shoulder, and he turned around.

       “Chris. Hey,” Josh said, slightly surprised.

       “Josh.” Chris paused for a few seconds before speaking again. “So you played drums in my place at the last show.”

       Josh didn’t like where this conversation was going. “Uh, yeah. I did. You weren’t there,” he added. “For some reason.”

       Chris’s face tensed. “A reason that is none of your business.”

       Josh shrugged. “Sure. But it’s at least the business of the rest of your band, if you keep ditching them like that. I know you don’t like me because I’ve played _your_ drum set for _your_ band twice, but it’s your own damn fault, buddy,” Josh said, his anger rising.

       “I’m warning you not to interfere with our band, Dun. I know you’re dating Tyler now or whatever, but that doesn’t give you any right to intrude. _I’m_ the drummer for Twenty One Pilots.”

       “I never said you w—“ Josh stopped. Someone was sitting at the bar; someone that looked awfully familiar. He had a skinny build and a flop of curly brown hair. The man turned around, and Josh’s heart skipped a beat.

       Ryan. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this wasn't my best chapter but I hope you guys still liked it :) Thank you for commenting such nice things, your feedback means so much to me. \\-|
> 
> Edit: I most likely won't be able to update for a few days, I'm going on vacation. Sorry guys, I promise I'll make it up to y'all when I get back <3


	8. The Unwanted Visitor

           The next ten seconds passed in a blur.

            Josh made his way towards Ryan, his blood boiling with every step. As he reached Ryan’s seat at the bar, the old band member turned around. Face to face with him, it took every ounce of restraint in Josh’s body to prevent himself from beating Ryan to a pulp.

            Josh glared at Ryan as soon as they made eye contact. If looks could kill, Ryan would have fallen dead in half a second.

            “I want you to get the fuck out of here _right now.”_

“Joooosh, old buddy!” Ryan made to clap a hand on Josh’s back, but the drummer hissed and threw his arm off with more force than necessary.

            “Touch me and you’re out of here. Touch _Brendon,_ and you’re dead.”

            Ryan raised his eyebrows. “Brendon, huh? I assume he’s here?”                      

            Josh growled. “What do you not understand about ‘get the fuck out of here? How did you even find us?’”

            _“RYAN?”_

Immediately, Dallon and Dan were at Josh’s side. If Ryan was at all nervous at being surrounded by three people who had a burning hatred for him, he didn’t show it.

            “Ah, look we’re all here! Except…”

            “If you so much as make eye contact with Brendon—“ Dan spat.

            “Yeah, everyone seems to be threatening me for potentially interacting with Brendon. Here’s the thing, though. I texted Brendon about meeting up, and he didn’t deny me.”

            “We know what you did, and he didn’t deny because he didn’t respond at all, you creep. You have absolutely _no right_ to come back here after what you did. We made it _very clear—“_

            Kenny running up to them cut off Dallon.

            “Hey, guys—“           

            “And you must be my replacement,” Ryan blatantly interrupted, raising an eyebrow amusedly.

            Kenny looked Ryan up and down, his expression turning to stone once he realized who was in front of him. “Ryan.”

            “Kenny,” Josh said, “go keep Brendon away while we deal with him. We can’t let him see Ryan.”

            Kenny nodded and glared at Ryan one more time before disappearing towards the backstage entrance.

           Josh stepped closer to Ryan, attempting to pour three years’ worth of anger and resentment about him into his next words. It wasn’t hard.            

            “You are not welcome here. You’re messed up. Get. Out.” Josh’s nose was practically in Ryan’s face.

            “Is there a problem here?”

            Josh looked over to see a bartender drying a glass with a rag and looking at the four of them, concerned.

            “Yeah, there is,” Josh said. “Can we get security to take him out?” He was basically snarling at this point. He remembered what he had told Dan days before—about how they should restrain from physically hurting Ryan should they meet—but that was proving to be hard advice to follow.

            The bartender glanced between Josh and Ryan, and then disappeared.

            “What made you think it was a good idea to come back here?”

            Ryan slammed his glass down on the counter, agitated. “Josh, I haven’t seen any of you for _years._ Is it so crazy to think that people _change?_ That they _evolve?”_ His voice was dripping with sarcasm, only making Josh’s attitude increasingly hostile.

            “Nothing you’ve said within this three-minute conversation has given me any reason to believe that you have actually changed, Ross. And even if you had, it wouldn’t change anything for Brendon. You messed him up. He may have recovered, with a lot of help from his true friends, but that just means you have to stay farther away from him so he won’t be teleported back to those times.”

            “You’re a _creep,_ Ross. And _we don’t want you here,_ “ Dallon added.

            Josh glanced over his shoulder, his heartbeat abruptly tripping over itself, half- expecting to see Brendon standing nearby, staring at his past abuser.

            Brendon would have a panic attack.

            The show would be cancelled.

            Maybe more than one show.

            Maybe Brendon would be so traumatized by the sight of Ryan that they would have to cancel the whole tour.

            “What’s the problem here?”

            Josh’s panicky thoughts were disrupted as a bulky security guard approached. He was sporting a crew cut and a fantastically painful mustard-yellow shirt, and despite all that was happening, Josh couldn’t help but think of how Tyler would probably be able to pull off even the most disgusting shades of yellow clothing.

            “This guy is a creep, we have history,” Dallon explained to the guard. “We’ve made it very clear we don’t want to see him again, but he refuses to stop stalking us.”

            Security stared at Dallon, apparently unconvinced.

            “If our other friend sees him, he’ll have a terrible panic attack. That other friend is the lead singer of your main band tonight. We’re in it too. We’ll have to leave if he doesn’t get out, and you’ll be a lame bar with no live music,” Dallon added angrily.

            The guard snarled, but didn’t say anything before turning to Ryan. “Come on, you’ll have to leave.” He nodded towards the doors.

            Ryan gaped. “Are you kidding me? Because they’re with the band?”

            “Out.”

            Ryan shot a death glare to the rest of them before allowing himself to be led outside. Josh could hear him yelling at the guard to not hold his arm so tight. Ryan’s annoyance and their victory gave Josh a small bit of satisfaction.

            “I don’t know if I’ve ever hated anyone that much before,” Dan seethed.

            “I haven’t,” Dallon stated matter-of-factly.

            “Come on,” Josh muttered, moving past them. “We should go make sure Brendon didn’t see anything.”

            Backstage, Tyler was sitting on the floor, scrolling through his phone with his back against the wall. Nick was chatting with Chris, Brendon, and Kenny at the way back corner. Kenny glanced back and Josh gave him a thumbs up. The guitarist’s shoulders immediately relaxed.

            “Hey, what’s up?”

            “Not much,” said Dallon, making an attempt at being nonchalant. He flipped his hair casually.

            “How much time do we have until 11?” Brendon muttered, checking his watch.

            Josh turned around, content that Brendon had seen nothing of Ryan. He looked at Tyler, clad in skinny jeans and an oversized grey sweater, even though it was late June and hot as all hell outside. Josh grinned and plopped down next to him.

            Tyler’s head shot up from over his phone, alarmed. But his face broke into a huge smile at the sight of Josh. “Hey!”

            “Hey.” Josh grinned. Tyler wrapped his sweatered arms around Josh and hugged him tight. “How have you been in the past hour that I haven’t seen you?”               Josh sighed and leaned into Tyler’s side, resting his head on his shoulder. “You have no idea.” He closed his eyes, breathing in Tyler’s scent.

            “What? Did something actually happen?” Tyler seemed surprised and brought his hand up to Josh’s head of bright pink hair, stroking the curls.

            “Guess who I saw sitting at the bar?”

            “Ummmm…” Tyler thought. “I dunno, who?”

            “Ryan,” Josh whispered.

            Tyler dropped his hand and fell back, eyes as wide as a puppy’s. “No _shit!”_

            The rest of the group looked over at them questioningly.

            “Nothing!” Josh hurriedly called, and then continued quietly. “Brendon doesn’t know.”

            “Well, thank God for that,” Tyler exclaimed, quieter this time. “You got him out, I hope?”

            “Yeah, no, security guided him the fuck out of there.”

            “In one piece?”

            “Yes, I exercised enough restraint to not beat him the fuck up.”

            “I’m sure you could have, though.”

            “Definitely,” Josh agreed, grinning.

            Tyler giggled and twirled his fingers in the drummer’s hair again.

            Josh placed a little kiss on Tyler’s neck. “Who were you texting?” Tyler’s phone screen was open to an iMessage conversation.

            “Oh, thanks for reminding me to respond,” Tyler said, picking it up. “It’s Jenna.”

            “Jenna?”

            “Yeah, the girl I met at Taco Bell.” Tyler’s face reddened as he realized what he had just said.

            Josh pulled back from his boyfriend a little. “What? Why are you talking to her? I mean, I—“

            “No, you’re right, I’m sorry,” Tyler rushed. “It sounds weird, considering what happened last time I talked to her. But I swear, there’s nothing going on.” He stared earnestly into Josh’s eyes. “She only gave me her number because I’m going into a Communications major in college this year, and she’s a junior doing the same thing. She wanted to tell me about it. She has a boyfriend, too,” Tyler added, desperately hoping he hadn’t fucked things up again. “I’m sorry, I should have told you the situation, I totally forgot—“

            “Tyler, it’s okay,” Josh assured him. He took his hands. “I believe you. And anyway, you have _me_ now. Who could resist?”

            Tyler giggled. “I don’t know how anyone could resist you, honestly.”

            “Hey, nerds,” Dallon barked. “Calm it down with the PDA.”

            Josh rolled his eyes. “Oh. The Perfectly Delicious Apples?”

            “No, no,” Tyler cut in. “I think he means the Personal Dick Attacks.”

            “Oh, God, I _hate_ those!” Josh exclaimed.

            “I know, right?”

           “Literally, you two need to stop.” Dallon tried unsuccessfully to hide a smile as the two boys fell into heaps of laughter.

            He looked out of the backstage door and examined the bar. The crowds were growing. He glanced at the glass doors, flanked by two security guards. A figure was roaming outside them, pacing the parking lot and glancing inside.

            Ryan.

            “Josh,” Dallon growled. “Come here.”

            Josh looked up and ran over, alarmed by Dallon’s sudden mood change. “What?”

            “Ryan’s still there. “

            *

            “A guard literally took him out, why are you letting him stay?”

            “We can keep him out of the bar, but we can’t stop him from hanging around outside,” the bar owner explained to an outraged Josh. “What’s the problem? He can’t interact with you while he’s outside, anyway.”

            “Our lead singer can’t _see_ him at all, do you understand? It’s not just about one-on-one interaction,” Dallon shot back, exasperated.

            “Man, I don’t know what to tell you.” The owner shrugged.

            “God,” Dallon muttered and turned around, pulling Josh with him. “We just have to keep Brendon backstage.”

            “But what about when it comes time to perform? Brendon will see him through the doors.”

            “Maybe he’ll have left by then, I don’t know. One thing at a time.”

            They rounded the corner to the backstage area yet again.

            Nick was talking with Tyler, and Chris stood in the corner with Kenny and Dan.

            “Where’s Brendon?”

            “What?” Kenny looked up. “He went out. Ryan’s gone, right?”

*

            “Brendon. Nice of you to show up.”

            “Ryan.” His voice shook. He held his ground.

            “You know, your friends don’t have much faith in you.” Ryan stepped closer to Brendon across the parking lot. “They all seemed to think you would freak at the mere sight of me. I don’t think they’re as good for you as you think they are.”

            “And who would you prefer I hang out with?”

            Ryan smirked. “Who do you think?”

            Brendon didn’t back away as Ryan took another step closer to him.

            “Ryan, stop. We need to talk. For the last time.”

*

            “Crap. Maybe he’s in the bathroom,” Josh muttered, hurrying towards the bar again, the rest of the gang behind him. But he didn’t walk towards the bathroom. He walked towards the doors.

            A body slammed smack into his chest. Josh looked up, annoyed.

            “Brendon?”

            “Hey.” Brendon smiled shakily, but confidently.

            “What—“ Dallon pointed towards the bar exit, eyes wide. “Did you—“

            “Yeah.” Brendon nodded. “Ryan. I saw Ryan.” He swallowed. “I talked to him, actually.”

            “Oh, my God, Brendon. Are you okay?” Josh grabbed his arm.

            “I’m fine.”

            “Well where is—“

            Brendon cut Dan off. “He’s gone. I got him to leave.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, I'm so sorry about not updating for almost two weeks. I've started school again, and seeing as it's the dreaded junior year, I most likely won't be able to update daily anymore. But I'll definitely do my best to get new chapters up as quickly as I can. Hope y'all still love me XD Your comments make me so happy, I'm really glad you guys are enjoying this and wanting more <3


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